In the Mood for Watches & Jewels: Watchmaking expertise meets ethical luxury.
It is time to say goodbye to Baselworld – The most important Watch and Jewellery Show of the planet. It was wonderful to see such abundance of beautiful watches where Watchmaking Expertise meets Ethical Luxury.
Despite a drop in the number of buyers (-3%), this year’s edition drew a record number of 4,300 media representatives (+7.5%), bringing total attendance to 150,000, in line with last year. Professionals travelled from around the globe to admire the latest horological innovations. The difficult climate in certain markets was reflected in reduced attendance from Asia and Russia. Meanwhile, there was a rise in the number of visitors coming to Basel for the first time from Europe and the Americas. The announcement made on January 15th by the Swiss national bank no doubt influenced this trend.
In terms of business, the 2015 edition of Baselworld ended in a positive atmosphere across all sectors, despite crosswinds resulting from the crisis in Ukraine, the slowdown in China’s economic growth, and most recently the scrapping of the floor rate. Exports show that Swiss watchmaking is weathering the storm well, having increased 1% for the months of January-February compared with 2014.
Time certainly flies! Save the trendsetting date of the year – #Baselworld 2016 (March, 17 – 24, 2016)! Let’s take a look at some of the 2015 Baselworld novelties:
Patek Philippe Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524
Patek Philippe’s sophisticated Travel Time mechanism has been incorporated into the 324 S C FUS calibre inside the new Calatrava Pilot Travel Time Ref. 5524 with centre seconds, date shown by hand, and a heavy central rotor in 21K gold. In a quest for constant innovation, this refined mechanism is fitted with a Gyromax® balance with a patented geometry Spiromax balance spring, so as to guarantee the extreme precision and reliability required by the Patek Philippe Seal.
Chanel Watches: LES ÉTERNELLES DE CHANEL timepieces
Expressing the CHANEL High Jewelry know-how and creativity, LES ÉTERNELLES DE CHANEL is a collection of timeless watches, enhanced by the sparkle of gems. Inspired by the symbols dear to Gabrielle Chanel, these true jewels reveal their hidden dial with a movement of the hand.
Chanel J12 Skeleton Flying Tourbillon
The J12 Skeleton Flying Tourbillon watches feature a delicate openwork dial adorned with a precious, diamond-set star to highlight the beauty of their Haute Horlogerie movement.
Rolex Cellini Time 2015 models
Rolex introduced at Baselworld 2015 four new versions of the Cellini Time – their bezels resplendent with pure diamonds.
Rolex Oyster Perpetual 2015 models
Rolex presented new versions of its quintessential Oyster Perpetual model, introducing an entirely new 39 mm size as well as exclusive new dials for the 26, 31 and 34 mm sizes.
These new versions join the 31 and 36 mm Oyster Perpetuals unveiled in 2014, creating an entire family of different sizes and attractive dial colours for a model that affords full access to the Rolex legend/
Tag Heuer Monaco V4 Phantom – Virtually a stealth watch
TAG Heuer is renowned for its innovative spirit and savoir-faire, and this watch has both. Monaco V4 Phantom debuts an innovative case made entirely from Carbon Matrix Composite (CMC), as are the movement’s seven bridges.
Dior Watches: timepieces ar refined as haute couture.
the Dior VIII watch, an everyday essential, takes on the tones of the most recent ready-to-wear collections by Raf Simons: pristine white, deepest black, straps in seasonal colorsfor winter and summer, sapphires and diamonds on the Dior VIII Baguette reminiscent ofglittering embroideries. For evening, the timepieces possess an haute couture allure.Mother-of-pearl origami and unique volumes for the Dior Grand Soir and Dior Grand Soir“Frou Frou”, a feather skirt decorating the Dior VIII Grand Bal “Cancan”, with preciouslace for the Dior VIII Grand Bal “Fil d’or”.
Bvlgari Serpenti 2015 – an original variation on Serpenti’s curvaceously design
For the very first time, the head and tail of the legendary snake cross over on the wristin a remarkably supple composition.The entirely hand-crafted gold bracelet breaks free ofits inner spring and provides a perfectly comfortable fit by means of adjustable links, while the hold is secured by a twin-pusher clasp.
Bvlgari Diagono Magnesium watch – “a pioneering urban timepiece”
Diagono Magnesium’s light and sturdy case middle is made from two materials notably used in the space industry: magnesium and PEEK, a polymer capable of withstanding the most extreme conditions.
Chopard L.U.C XPS Fairmined Limited Edition with 18-CARAT FAIRMINED ROSE GOLD
The watch’s gold originates from community-based artisanal and small-scale mining organisations developed under the Alliance for Responsible Mining, setting the benchmark for the sustainable sourcing of precious metals. Chronometer-certified by the COSC, its self-winding L.U.C Calibre 96.12-L is housed inside an ultra-thin case and protected by glareproofed scratch-resistant sapphire crystal.
Angelus U10 Tourbillon Lumière
Angelus draws on its heritage, together with 1960s-70s industrial design, to deliver an avant-garde wristwatch. Proposed as a 25-piece limited series, U10 Tourbillon Lumière presents a flying tourbillon, distinct from the time display including deadbeat seconds, combined with a linear power-reserve indicator on the side of the case. Seven sapphire crystals, including four that frame the flying tourbillon, allow light to flood this
mechanical marvel to create three-dimensional effects. The movement, which provides a 90-hour power reserve, has been entirely developed and made by Angelus after four years in development.
Breitling Bentley GMT Light Body B04 Midnight Carbon watch – British chic combined with an exceptional ‘motorisation’
Beneath its sporting bodywork beats Manufacture Breitling Calibre B04 featuring a dual-time display and peerless user friendliness, as testified by the two patents protecting this exclusive mechanism.
Hermes 2015 Watches: Slim d’Hermès timepiece – the essence of pure form
Slim d’Hermès draws on the visual culture of Hermès, as witnessed by the original typography of the numerals, designed by Philippe Apeloig. The 39.5 mm diameter watch measures time to the beat of the Hermès H1950 extra-thin Manufacture movement, and can incorporate a perpetual calendar.
Raymond Weil Nabucco Limited Edition in Partnership with Gibson timepiece
The latest offering from the music-loving watchmaker celebrates the one-and-only Gibson guitar, an icon of modern music played by the greatest rock, jazz and blues musicians. The new Nabucco steals the limelight with a case whose taut lines are crafted from titanium and steel, a dial circled by six grooves representing the guitar’s six strings and proudly bearing the Gibson logo, and a tachymeter scale around the grey ceramic bezel.
The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph watch
With The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph, Longines is reviving one of its 1920s models that was essentially used for medical purposes. Like the original model, The Longines Pulsometer Chronograph uses the chronograph hand sweeping around the pulsometric scale to indicate the patient’s pulse on the dial after just 30 beats.
Graff Diamond MasterGraff Grand Date Dual Time Tourbillon
Graff’s new mechanical movement associates a flying tourbillon with a dual-time display and a large instantaneous date that jumps at exactly midnight. Set against a backdrop of rose or white gold, the precious stones exercise their timeless powers of fascination and sparkle with radiant fire on a dial also lit up by an emerald at noon, as well as forming the emblematic Graff signature on the dial: an invisibly-set mosaic crafted using an exclusive technique resulting from a full year’s research.
Tudor North Flag Watch
2015 Tudor North Flag is driven by the first movement to be entirely developed andmanufactured by Tudor. Tudor. Made to perform, the MT5621 Manufacture calibre delivers animpressive power reserve of some 70 hours, which is shown at 9 o’clock. Beating at 28,800vibrations/hour, it is fitted with a variable inertia balance with silicon balance spring,held by a transversal bridge that is secured at each end to fully withstand shocks and vibrations. Further benefits include a bi-directional automatic winding system and COSC
chronometer certification – another first for Tudor, the luxury Swiss brand being insipired by British North Greenland Expedition in the early 1950s. During this adventure Tudor’s watches proved vital for the expedition’s scientists.
Perrelet First Class Double Rotor Skeleton 20th Anniversary – a new design with a Côtes de Genève finish and a special engraving to mark this jubilee.
Issued in limited series of 250 for its steel version, and 77 for the pink gold variation, the First Class Double Rotor Skeleton anniversary collection combines the watchmaking genius of this automatic winding system with the art of skeleton-working.
Faberge Watches: Visionnaire 1 timepiece – Fabergé’s first complicated watch
This haute horlogerie model showcases the tourbillon in its most demanding version: the flying tourbillon. As if suspended in its carriage at 9 o’clock, this horological complication performs its rotations in full view. The movement gear wheels may also be fleetingly glimpsed between the trapeze shapes forming a 3D rosette motif in the centre of the watch, while the back also reveals the most essential elements of this mechanism.
De Bethune DB28 GS watch
The self-regulating twin barrel delivers six days of power reserve. The balance spring terminal curve, and the annular balance in silicon and white gold, with its lighter weight and maximum inertia, are breakthroughs in watchmaking technology that guarantee the movement’s performance and precision. A triple pare-chute shock-absorber system protects the movement by a titanium bridge mounted on springs. The DB28 GS also stands out for its remarkable wearer comfort, a combination of lightweight titanium, the crown at 12 o’clock, and the patented floating lugs which adapt to suit the thickness and movements of the wrist.
De Grisogono Instrumento N° Uno Annual Calendar watch
Haute Horlogerie brand de Grisogono introduces a new aesthetic to its flagship Instrumento collection, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year. The dial adopts a subtle asymmetry to display the calendar indications, with a large date at 12 o’clock and the month at 8 o’clock. Small seconds are shown at 5 o’clock. Instrumento N° Uno Annual Calendar delivers a practical function with infinite sophistication: the date should be corrected just once a year, at the end of February.
Frédérique Constant The Swiss Horological Smartwatch
Powered by the MotionX patented sensor-fusion engine, The Swiss Horological Smartwatch retains the beauty of a classic watch display with hands, all the while communicating with iOS and Android applications to display information on physical activity and sleep, in real time, on the watch’s dial.
